A TIDE of optimism swept through Kingfield on Tuesday night as new Woking boss Kim Grant demonstrated the supreme confidence that saw him beat 38 applicants to the post.

The 35-year-old Ghana international, who plans to perform “a major role as a player” in his first managerial job, aims to shake up one of the Blue Square Premier’s least talked about clubs and push The Cards back into the national spotlight.

Refreshingly, he also intends to play a style of football completely alien to that served up by his two predecessors — using the revolutionary tactic of keeping the ball from the opposition while trying to score more goals than them.

A veteran of 16 clubs as a player, both at the top level in England and countries such as Belgium, Portugal, Japan, and Malaysia, Grant intends to blend what he has learned from the many different footballing cultures sampled.

He also insisted he would not be concerned about moving players on from the current squad if they don’t come up to scratch, while those he was about to bring in would be of real “quality.”

“I am going to be my own person and do it my way,” he said. “I’m very proud to be manager. It’s a privilege because it’s a big club and, for my first job, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m going to grab it with both hands and I believe I can change this club.”